Report: Florida State set to begin process of leaving ACC

Florida State is expected to officially begin the process of pursuing an exit from the ACC during a Friday meeting, sources told Brett McMurphy of Action Network.

The ACC has reportedly yet to be notified by the Seminoles about their intention to leave. Florida State would have to navigate through a long and expensive process to depart its current conference.

The earliest FSU could exit the league is June 2025 as the ACC requires teams to provide at least one year's notice, according to McMurphy.

Additionally, Florida State would have to pay an estimated $120-million exit fee to the ACC, McMurphy notes. The Seminoles would also have to get out of the conference's grant of rights that runs through 2036. That process could apparently cost the school an additional $360 million.

Strong rumors about Florida State leaving the ACC arose in August when school president Richard McCullough threatened to leave the conference if the league didn't modify its revenue distribution.

FSU officials considered starting the process to exit the ACC during the summer but opted to wait a few months to avoid being a distraction for the Seminoles during the football season, sources told McMurphy.

Florida State reportedly then started discussing its future again after the team recently became the first undefeated Power 5 conference champion not to make the College Football Playoff.

The Big Ten and SEC are expected to have a strong interest in Florida State if it leaves the ACC, according to McMurphy. The Seminoles' complicated exit could result in other schools leaving the conference, including Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina, McMurphy adds.

Florida State potentially switching conferences would be another major move in college football's latest realignment. Among several recent moves, the SEC added Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12, while the Big Ten scooped USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington from the Pac-12. Those schools will officially join their new conferences in 2024.